


just stay alive (that would be enough)

by Marvelgeek42



Series: WIPs I *should* finish before I start new works [26]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Age Swap (kinda), Alexander is the older brother, Dad Friend Hercules Mulligan, F/M, Gen, Homelessness, Immigrants (they get the job done), M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow To Update, for like half a chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2018-12-27 05:38:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12074589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marvelgeek42/pseuds/Marvelgeek42
Summary: “We’re Hamiltons.” James says when Alexander informs him of this. “Or, more accurately, both of us have the blood of Rachel Faucette. We will manage.”Alexander pulls his brother closer and ruffles his hair. “You’re right, Jamie. There’s so much the two of us are gonna do,” he begins.“They’ll just have to wait,” James finishes, a wide smile on his face.





	1. passage on a ship (that was New York bound)

**Author's Note:**

> Just to clear up some confusion:  
> Alexander is born in 1751, as opposed to 1755, making him four years older than in canon.  
> James is born in 1757, as opposed to ~1753, so he's the age Alexander likely pretended to be, as we're not 100% sure Alex was born in '55.

Alexander is twenty when Hurricane San Agustin hits the rundown hut his little brother James and he himself had been living in for the past few years.

Luckily, neither of them had been there at that time, because there isn’t much left of it once the hurricane has passed. Only no, it hadn’t been luck, but Ned Stevens’s offer for them to stay with him  that even gave them a chance to survive.

Because that hut? There aren’t many traces of it left. Granted, there had never been all that much to begin with and Alexander had enlisted James’s help to ensure the safety of the few things they wanted to keep.

The small number of books they owned, some clothes, the few things that their mother had owned and Lavine hadn’t taken from them, and, eh, that’s about all, actually.

The rest of the things could be replaced with a lot of hard work—in other words an average day for Alexander—and a few days of hunger—also not that far from average for Alexander, slightly less so for James.

It will be hard, but they can do it. They will do it.

They have to do it, if they want to live another day.

And so, Alexander continues working for the trading charter, only now James is working right at his side, learning any and every advice Alexander has to offer.

* * *

Alexander isn’t sure how he ends up writing a letter to James’s father—he’s well aware that James Hamilton is not his, he remembers when his mother had introduced him to the man—but he does.

And somehow—he’s as good as certain it was either James or Ned—that letter gets published in the local newspaper, the _Royal Danish American Gazette_ and, for the first time in his life, the people of not only of Christianed but all of St. Croix and even a few of neighbouring isles are actually paying attention to the way James and—less importantly—Alexander are suffering.

Suddenly they care, suddenly they are willing to spend money.

If his two decades on these islands have taught him anything, then it’s to accept the help with a fake smile and curse them when the word wouldn’t get to them.

The people of the island intend to send him to the mainland so he can be properly educated—he knows they are hoping for a doctor—but Alexander has one condition.

“I will not be leaving without James,” he declares whenever someone asks him. “That’s just not happening. The kid’s barely even fifteen!”

Alexander has lost more than enough siblings already. It doesn’t matter that he never got to know them in the first place, they still died.

“Plus,” James adds, “Alexander needs someone to remind him to eat. It’d be pretty pointless to send him up there just for him to starve himself.”

And, eventually, the people of St. Croix give in.

Both James and Alexander can travel to New York, but they can’t offer to send them enough money to pay for both of their education and the other things they will need, so the two would have to find lodgings as well as an additional income on their own.

“We’re Hamiltons.” James says when Alexander informs him of this. “Or, more accurately, both of us have the blood of Rachel Faucette. We will manage.”

Alexander pulls his brother closer and ruffles his hair. “You’re right, Jamie. There’s so much the two of us are gonna do,” he begins.

“They’ll just have to wait,” James finishes, a wide smile on his face.

* * *

The brothers’ journey to the British American Colonies is downright amazing for a while.

They can still barely believe that they are actually leaving St. Croix and everything that hurt them on the isle behind.

It’s an incredible feeling, just standing there and watching their former home grow smaller and smaller.

“It’s almost as if we’re finally letting go of the chains holding us back,” James states, looking at Alexander.

“You’re absolutely right,” the older brother confirms, thus causing the younger one’s smile to widen even more.

Then, pretty much in the middle of their week-long journey, their ship catches fire, because of course it does. It isn’t like the brothers have suffered more than enough already or anything, no.

There is no one on the ship who doesn’t panic at all, understandably so, Alexander would say.

But the passengers and crew manage to extinguish the fire before it damages the ship or anyone on it. A bit of the cargo suffers, yes, but that’s not Alexander’s problem.

What counts is that his brother is still alive and that they don’t have to swim the rest of the way to the mainland.

It’s no wonder that James agrees with that assessment, even if he adds Alexander’s survival as another important factor.

“If you say so,” Alexander replies, shaking his head. His life clearly isn’t as important as the one of his little brother.

“Yes, I do, actually,” James insists, before sobering up and continuing quietly. “You’re all I have left in this world.”

At these words, Alexander pulls his brother towards him. Neither of them speaks a word, but both of them know what the other is feeling. They never want to experience losing one another, or at the very least not for decades and decades.

They form a silent vow to stay alive for the other in that moment.

* * *

The sun is rising when their ship arrives in New York City and Alexander is sure that this is a symbol of some kind. A sign that their arrival will bring change to this world.

“You may be exaggerating a bit there,” James argues. “I mean, yeah, there’s a lot we have yet to do, but we’re not gonna change the world.”

“No.” Alexander shakes his head. “This is the dawn of a new age. I can feel it. And I am not going to stand to the sidelines. That much I can promise.”

“Then I won’t be far from the action either,” James proclaims.

Alexander looks as his little brother. “Jamie, no-”

“What?” The fifteen-year-old raises an eyebrow. “You think you can keep me from joining you?”

“I can and I will,” Alexander declares.

“You can certainly try,” James acknowledges, “but in the end I will follow you wherever you go. That is my promise.”

Alexander sighs. They both know that, if one of them gets an idea in their head, it will happen and that James has the advantage of being able to pull a face Alexander simply cannot say no to. It’s impossible.

“Then I suppose I will take you along so that I can at least keep an eye on you.”


	2. HERCULES MULLIGAN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, that title almost counts as jumpscare.

During their first few weeks on the mainland of the British American colonies, the brothers are on the edge almost constantly. They have to, as it takes them roughly that time to find lodgings.

Yes, they could have stayed in a hotel or something like that, but both of them are well aware that they have to save as much money as possible if they want to not only survive in this city, but potentially both attend a local college.

Getting food and drink is hard enough, they can postpone the notion of finding a proper roof over their head until one or both of them had found a job.

If it took long enough, there was  _ nothing _ Alexander wouldn’t do to earn enough money to feed his brother and himself—in that order.

And until they find someone to give them work, they can sleep in the streets. It’s not that much of a difference to their hut, that had almost entirely consisted out of walls and roof.

At least that was the plan until they happen to stumble over an almost suspiciously nice man.

Then, some fool decided to steal one of the few things Alexander and James have left of their mother. The man can only get it because both brothers had been distracted for just a second by the prospect of food.

But they notice it immediately and sprint after the man carrying their property. The carry around the rest of it anyways, as they had to left the books on St. Croix to be delivered to them when they have found a place to live.

“Stop that man!” James yells. “He’s a thief!”

Meanwhile Alexander focuses on running so much that he’s pretty much non verbal.

The man knows the city better than they do and uses small alleys to increase the distance between them, but the brothers are faster.

Nevertheless, the distance was just big enough that the man had his advantage and the stamina Alexander and James was negatively affected by their lack of food.

They would have lost him, were it not for the tall man with broad shoulders who notices them and stops the thief.

“Now what do you think you’re doing?” the man asks as James and Alexander arrive at the point the two are standing.

The thief tries to spin a tale that it is actually his necklace and the brothers were attempting to steal it from him, but he stutters and pauses too much at the wrong places for it to be true.

Plus, the sheer rage and offense on the faces of the brothers doesn’t exactly help to sell his story either.

“Nice try,” the man comments sarcastically. “ Now, if you would please return the property of these young men?” It’s phrased like a question, but it clearly and without a doubt is an order. The tone of voice is harsh enough that the thief complies within a second and then flees.

“Thank you very much, sir,” James replies as they step into the man’s shop. The younger brother’s accent is more Scottish than Alexander’s that is just a mess of all the accents he heard on the docs.

“You are welcome, of course,” the man replies. His Irish accent is more obvious than it had been before.

“I’m afraid we do not possess the money to repay you,” Alexander states apologetically.

The man shakes his head. “That is a preposterous notion. I do not need any repayment for something like this.”

“You have no idea how important this necklace is to us,” Alexander admits. “There must be something we can do.”

“In that case,” the man pauses and Alexander is mentally preparing himself for whatever may follow. “I think the satisfaction of knowing it will stay in your possession is enough.”

By now even James, who is far more likely to see the good in people than Alexander is, looks doubtful. “There must be  _ something  _ you want from us.”

“Well,” the man considers for a second, “I supposes I would not be opposed to knowing why it is so important. My curiosity often gets the better of me, you see.”

Alexander is too baffled to answer for a second, which is something that does not happen often.

James takes the chance to reply before Alexander gathers himself again. “It is one of the few things we have left from our mother.”

The man nods. “I can understand why you hold that necklace very dear to your hearts then. Give your father my condolences when you get home, will you?”

The brothers wince simultaneously.

“That’s not gonna be possible for several reasons, I’m afraid,” James states. His voice isn’t cracking, but he’s not very far from it.

Alexander recognizes the tone of voice from his brother. He knows that if James continues talking about this, he is going to cry and Alexander really hates seeing his little brother crying.

He’s gonna have to do something about that.

“Why that?” the man inquires, a frown adorning his face. He picks up on the fact that something is amiss for the brothers, but it doesn’t seem like he can put his finger on what exactly the problem is.

“Because not only do we not currently have a house, but neither of us has any idea where either of our fathers is. Hell, I don’t even know  _ who _ mine is,” Alexander exclaims a bit more loudly then he should. “But he gave Maman this necklace and I have to believe that he would have stayed if he had known about my existence.”

James tries to console his older brother and to get him to stop talking. Both of them know that it is not easy for Alexander to shut his mouth once he starts and this man—whoever he may be—doesn’t need to know their entire life story.

“Oh my,” the man whispers before he shakes his head. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

James snorts. “How could you? It is not like we have signs around our necks, proclaiming it to the entire world.”

“I like you,” the man proclaims, before turning to Alexander. “And you as well. If you truly have no place to stay, you can stay here.”   
“What?” Alexander almost yells in shock. “No, we couldn’t possibly-”

“I insist. You can help around the shop if you feel the need to repay me, but I cannot let two young men like you starve on the street if I can do anything against it.”

“Alright,” James tentatively accepts and for the moment, Alexander doesn’t want to think about whether or not they are going to regret that later.

“That’s wonderful then,” the man smiles, before he seems to realize something. “I never mentioned my name, did I? I’m Hercules Mulligan.”

“My name is Alexander Hamilton.” It may not technically be his name, but it’s the one he has used most of his life, the name he gets the little bit of money they receive under, and, to be honest, he really likes the melody of it.

“James,” the younger brother mumbles.

“It’s really nice to meet you two,” Hercules says. And, oddly enough, he actually sounds honest.


	3. yo imma get a scholarship

Living with Hercules Mulligan seems almost surreal. Just the fact that they have a reliable access to food alone – well, as much as such a thing can be reliable, they are all obviously still bound by the weather conditions and the numerous other factors increasing or limiting the harvest.

Nevertheless, it is the closest thing to it that the brothers have had in a while. Possibly since they were born, but since figuring that out for sure means thinking about Senior, Alexander prefers not to do so. He doesn’t know if it is the same for James or if his brother actually misses his father.

Most probably the latter, but Alexander abhors his younger brother being sad, so it is the only logical course of action not to ask. Perhaps he will do it eventually, once they have managed to build something on their own.

A thought that seems increasingly plausible, considering Hercules does not require them to pay rent for some reason Alexander does not even pretend to understand, and even pays them a small bit for helping out around his shop. To add to that, they are still getting the money from the collection back in the Caribbean.

After countless conversations filled with careful consideration there is one consequence: Alexander will apply to a university. They had debated whether or not James should apply as well; he is old enough after all, being 15. That is the average age of people enrolling – around half a decade younger than Alexander currently is, one might add – even if it is the lower end of the spectrum.

James, however, had argued himself that it would be a waste of money. Both of the brothers know that James longs to be like Alexander – even if Alexander himself had been teased back in Nevis as he would rather read a book than roll around in the dirt. There is without any doubt a time for fights, but those disagreements were more than pointless.

The point being, James may have a desire to be like his older brother and he is working ambitiously towards it, but in the end, he is just a different type of person. James is good with his hands and, if Hercules is to be believed, a whole lot more of a help around the shop than Alexander can ever hope to be.

In fact, Alexander is forbidden to touch anything not directly regarding to money without Hercules’s express permission, while James has been repeatedly offered to become the tailor’s apprentice.

“I got y’all knuckleheads _in loco parentis_ ,” Hercules explains, oddly enough his Irish accent coming through more than usually. “That means that I care for you and want the best for you. Alexander’s place clearly is in a university for now, there is no doubt about that, but James’s isn’t and there’s no shame in that. Not everybody is a scholar, but that doesn’t mean ridiculous claims like that the ones who aren’t don’t matter or any such foolish ideas are true.”

“Hercules, you are only nine years older than I am,” Alexander deadpans. “That’s in no way old enough to be any sort of parent to me.”

“That _does not_ mean that I don’t care about you like a son on some level,” Hercules argues. “Though I suppose I could accept the role of an uncle or so if you would prefer that.”

“I don’t think I have had a proper uncle before,” James whispers and that is the precise moment when Alexander officially adopts Hercules Mulligan in the family.

Or technically it is the moment where he lets himself be adopted.

Whatever.

Hercules, despite not being a blood relative, has cared for them more than most of those who are – Maman being an obvious exception – so as far as Alexander is concerned, Hercules is family.

Just like his friend Ned is, back on St. Croix. Ned had saved their lives in more ways than one, not that anyone – including Alexander – really knows the exact number. Quite likely, it is in the double digits and not just barely.

Ned is family as well and if there is one thing that Alexander misses from the island, it is definitely him.

Fortunately, there are ways to stay in contact. Since both of them can read, writing letters is far from an impossibility and once Alexander has a proper address again, it is only easier. Of course, there is always the chance of their letters getting lost, but they had agreed before Alexander and James left the island that they would always write after two months have passed, no matter if they had received a letter or not.

The topics they talk about vary considerably, which in no way means that they weren’t important. It had been Ned’s assurance that he could not see a sign of Hercules having bad intentions – not after this time, not with the way they met, not with what Alexander described of his character – that calmed Alexander down enough to start trusting the man.

What worries Alexander about that is that James does not have anyone he writes to. He doesn’t have any friends here either, unless you count Alexander and Hercules – only the latter of which count because Alexander is James’s brother, but that’s not the same as being a friend.

James needs someone he can speak to that isn’t in a position of power over him – like Hercules as his employer and Alexander as the closest thing to a guardian he has – to talk to and express his thoughts.

But James keeps himself busy by working in the shop and studying various things in the downtime – which Alexander can follow and not criticize without becoming a hypocrite – thus he doesn’t really have the chance to go out and meet someone. Talking to customers can’t be the extent of his brother’s social life, Alexander flat out refuses to let that happen.

However, he also can’t force James to go out and do something. Or rather, he can, but he won’t. He doesn’t want James to resent him and his little brother is just as stubborn as Alexander is himself in regard to other people forcing them to do something they don’t want to do.

The most probable solution Alexander can think of is to bring someone here with him and hope they get along with James, but even that is more than likely to fail. And if he gets accepted in Princeton, he will not even be able to do that, considering that he will have to live somewhere closer to the college to be able to attend all the things he needs to.

There does not seem to be anything Alexander can do but hope. Hope that it all goes well, hope that James will find someone, and hope that maybe so will he. Because having Ned is amazing, but nevertheless it would be good to have someone here other than Hercules.

Although that is a lot less important than the rest. Alexander can deal.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! The more comments I get, the more focused I am with a story, no joke.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr, if you're so inclined!  
> @marvelgeek42 for writing, @einsteinapproved for anything else.


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